Mixing a bit of seventeenth-century French history with a great deal of invention, Alexandre Dumas tells the tale of young D'Artagnan and his musketeer comrades, Porthos, Athos, and Aramis. Together they fight to foil the schemes of the brilliant, dangerous Cardinal Richelieu, who pretends to support the king while plotting to advance his own power. Bursting with swirling swordplay, swooning romance, and unforgettable figures.

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Audible Editor Reviews

Of course you've heard of the three famous swordsmen, but did you know that the novel is really funny, as well as replete with romance and adventure? John Lee does, and his narration plays up all three attributes to great effect. For those who need a reminder, Dumas's classic adventure presents the escapades of three of King Louis's musketeers, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, plus D'Artagnan (a musketeer in training) as they foil a few of Cardinal Richelieu's many devious plots. Amid much swordplay, they actually utter the famous line: "All for one and one for all." Lee struggles a bit with accents and characterizations early in the production. His hesitations disappear after a few chapters, however, and he gives fine voice to the rest of the madcap tale.

Publisher's Summary

Mixing a bit of seventeenth-century French history with a great deal of invention, Alexandre Dumas tells the tale of young D'Artagnan and his musketeer comrades, Porthos, Athos, and Aramis. Together they fight to foil the schemes of the brilliant, dangerous Cardinal Richelieu, who pretends to support the king while plotting to advance his own power. Bursting with swirling swordplay, swooning romance, and unforgettable figures---including the seductively beautiful but deadly femme fatale, Milady, and D'Artagnan's equally beautiful love, Madame Bonacieux---The Three Musketeers continues, after a century and a half of continuous publication, to define the genre of swashbuckling romance and historical adventure.

Reading The Three Musketeers was great fun! I especially loved the way it ended. I count it among my favorites now, and will no doubt read it again. The impressive combination of Alexandre Dumas and John Lee brought it to life for me in a way I didn't think possible. I love it!

***NOTE 1: Thanks to Audible and John Lee for making this experience possible. It was important to me that the experience be authentic, realistic, and free flowing. Through Audible's and John Lee's efforts, everything that I feared would make reading a noted classic like this cumbersome or difficult???has disappeared. Instead, it was just... amazing!

***NOTE 2: Mr. Lee, PLEASE narrate James Clavell's Shogun and King Rat! I think only you could really do them justice.

There is a reason some of these books are called Classics and why the authors reputations have stood the test of time. Unfortunately, our exposure to stories such as The Three Musketeers is often through cinema and they come off lightheaded. This unabridged audio is so much better and its almost a shame that it shares the same title with the inane film version. You won't feel like you're listening to an audio version of the movie. Moreover, it is one of the best productions I've listened to on audible.com. John Lee is a marvelous reader in any event and at the top of his form in this book.

The whole book was memorable. In today's society, it's easy to get lost in the language but don't let that stop you. The fight between Dartanian and the three Muskateers near the beginning was my favorite part. Especially seeing as they bonded so closely after that.

Which character – as performed by John Lee – was your favorite?

Dartanian was my favorite. He was a proud man with a good heart and fierce loyalties.

Any additional comments?

Do yourself a favor and stick with this book. Once it grabs you, you'll be hooked. If you get confused with a particular section, go back and listen again.

You go to him for action and plotting, for dialogue and badassery. His novels don't just pull you through them, they hurl you through. 3x speed was not fast enough to keep up with my interest. Les Trois Mousquetaires is pulp before their was pulp and noir before their was noir. I personally like the Count of Monte Cristo better, but I could also argue that 3M is a better-made novel. Anyway, if you like adventure books read it. If you like littttttraaaature. Get off your pretentious leather chair and read it too.

I didn't make it through the whole book, some other book came up and I switch over, and haven't made it back to this one. I bought this book because I recognized the narrator from another book and I have to say that I think John Lee could be one of the best Audiobook Narrators in the World. He took a book(This one) that I really wasn't all that interested in and made every second worth listening to. Thank You John Lee Thank You

Would you consider the audio edition of The Three Musketeers to be better than the print version?

I never read the print version.

What did you like best about this story?

I like the ending, but I will not share that with you.

What does John Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I have listen to about 30 books read by John Lee. I love his voice. He does not change his voice much when switching between characters and for some reason I find this lack of strong change more soothing then readers who constantly change their voice.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There were many parts of the story that were very funny.

Any additional comments?

If you are looking another Count of Monte Cristo, like I was, this is not it, so I was disappointed by that, but once I got into the story I really enjoy it.

How can anyone NOT like The Three Musketeers?!? I read this when I was creeping up on adolescence, and it's as irresistible now as it was then. And though John Lee doesn't earn a four-star rating, it was wonderful to listen to. I chose him as a narrator because, even though I adore Simon Vance, the sample just told me that I'd be nodding off somewhere along the way. John Lee's performance seemed more rollicking, more exciting. And it is. He captures the personalities of each character, spot-on, and not only that: some of his vocal characterizations add to the already rich characters! What keeps him from getting a four-star rating is his oh-so annoying way of pronouncing each name with a hyper-correct and painful enunciation with extreme inflections. Plus there's a pause, as in, "said....pause...wait for it... D'ArtagNAN." It was jarring. And as it's a quite lengthy novel, it became skin-crawling as well. I don't regret choosing his version over Vance's, though, simply because his pacing, his sense of drama, and of humor, are flawless and engaging. Just be warned. You might want to consider what will be tolerable to you over an extended listening time.Other than that, don't deny yourself this listening pleasure. Alexandre Dumas was brilliant with action, brilliant with humor, and light spirits. And his dialogue flows as naturally as anything ever written. I will be listening to the sequels. I wonder how Vance will do with their narration? I'm delighted to find out...!

The Three Musketeers is another masterpiece from the writer, Alexandre Dumas. Written with terrific skill, this novel relates the story of D'Ärtagnan and his three companions Athos, Porthos, and Aremis seeking to foil the schemes of the imposing Cardinal and faithfully serve the King. This novel contains incredible themes, intricate plots, and is a well written novel. The Three Musketeers well deserves its title among the top classics. The story kept me captivated and on the edge the entire way! John Lee is an outstanding narrator! With his incredible ability to change to the voices of the characters, he brought the novel alive. Overall, the audiobook, The Three Musketeers, is well worth the time and money!

Where does The Three Musketeers rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I've only listened to audiobooks on long road trips before, so that was my intention when I purchased this audiobook. I was so captivated by the story; John Lee's excellent storytelling really brings Dumas' characters to life. I kept listening long after the trip was over. I listened while walking my dog, when I was working, and it made the best kind of bedtime story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I quickly fell in love with the novel's protagonist, young D'Artagnan, who is around my age. He won my heart, but Athos won my everything else. Cool, clever, and with the irresistible "tortured hero" background story, it's no surprise he's a leader within the group.

What about John Lee’s performance did you like?

John Lee made sure each character had a distinct voice, so even when it wasn't stated, I could easily recognize which character was speaking. Lee's voice is just a pleasure to hear and he narrated excellently. Every bit of tension feels so real; it feels like you're actually in the story!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, and though it's nearly 24 hours in total and took me about 3 weeks to listen to completely, I devoted every second of my spare time to listening to this audiobook.

Having seen the films I did not know what to expect. There are so many twists and turns in the emotions of the book and the story. This reading really bought out the humour.

The reading was brilliant I soon became absorbed into the story. The narrator was extremely good and after a while I was unaware of the narrator's voice and only heard the characters.

I recommend this book

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Miss

EDINBURGH, United Kingdom

12/1/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Unlikable characters"

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I'm glad I finished it, I was curious enough to know how it ended to finish it. But the muskateers are really rather unlikable characters, nothing much like their on screen counterparts, they're snobs, fight over the smallest insult, sleep with richer, older women to get their money, and are generally quick to kill and fickle. Not really what I was expecting...

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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